OneFootball
Padraig Whelan·14 September 2019
OneFootball
Padraig Whelan·14 September 2019
Teenage star Ansu Fati got things going early for Barcelona against Valencia and they never looked back after that.
We look at what we learned from their impressive 5-2 win …
We’ve seen enough.
It is now safe to proclaim with more than a little confidence that Ansu Fati is destined for the top.
We’re aware that for every Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta to emerge from La Masia, there is a Bojan Krkić or Sergi Samper who just didn’t work out despite the big expectations.
But this kid is definitely going places and the confidence he displays on the ball for a 16-year-old – SIXTEEN – playing for one of the world’s biggest clubs is astounding.
We cannot get over how cool and composed he is, while he is also capable of holding his own physically despite his age.
He made more LaLiga history with his well-taken goal and assist and you can bet it won’t be the last time he enters the record books either.
Luis Suárez wasn’t even 60 seconds into his Barcelona comeback and he showed what they have been missing.
Youngsters like Fati and Carles Pérez are exciting. Antoine Griezmann’s fast feet make him a joy to watch.
But there is something to be said about having the Uruguayan and his killer instinct at the tip of the attack.
No sooner had he returned than he had gotten himself back among the goals with a fine stabbed curling effort from the edge of the box.
There was more than a hint of fellow South American superstar Ronaldinho about it.
The second was just pure, peak Suárez – finishing clinically when the ball came his way.
Frenkie de Jong has had a slow start to life at Barcelona.
But then, he isn’t the only big-name Ajax acquisition from the summer who has received criticism.
Just look at Matthijs de Ligt and his struggles early on in Turin.
But this was undoubtedly the Dutchman’s best performance to date in a Barcelona jersey.
Playing in a position he is perhaps more comfortable in, he shone and produced an exceptional display.
This can be the beginning of his Barcelona career because this is much more like we expected.